Hilarious road safety campaign urges young motorists to drive like their gran’s in the car

Hilarious road safety campaign urges young motorists to drive like their gran’s in the car

Matt Allan

Published:8:05 amMay 10, 2019

A new road safety campaign is using a light-hearted video to drive home a deadly serious message to young drivers.

Created by Road Safety Scotland for its #DriveSmart campaign, the short clip features a young driver being told off for using his phone by his gran, who emerges from the car’s footwell.

The clip is the first in a series that will introduce formidable grans berating their grandsons for a range of unsafe behaviour, from being distracted to driving too fast.

Precious cargo

The campaign was developed after research found that young drivers change their driving behaviour depending on who they have in the car with them. Those questioned said that they drive more carefully when they are carrying ‘precious cargo’ like their gran in the car.

They also admitted to being concerned about letting down family members, including gran, with poor driving behaviour, such as texting while driving or driving faster than the speed limit.

Over confidence

While the clips are designed to raise a laugh, Road Safety Scotland’s director Michael McDonnell said they carried a serious message.

He said: “Young men are prone to over-confidence in their abilities, a misplaced sense of control and a desire to push themselves and their cars to the limits.

“This campaign will address some of the key contributing factors that lead to casualties on Scotland’s roads in a way that young men will take notice of. Next time the drivers see themselves slipping into bad habits, they should imagine Gran is in the car with them.”

New research reveals that over 61 per cent of Scottish men aged 20-29 consider themselves to be either very good or excellent drivers. Despite this claim, latest figures reveal over 2,040 were involved in accidents in the last 12 months, with 314 killed or seriously injured.

UK-wide data also shows that younger drivers (aged 17-24) are the most likely to be killed or seriously injured in a crash. They make up just seven per cent of all licence holders but represent 20 per cent of all drivers killed or seriously injured.

Striking a chord

Christine Hinshelwood is one of the Scottish grandmother involved in the campaign.

She said: “The thought of my grandson being involved in an accident or, God forbid, being the cause of one just doesn’t bear thinking about.

“This campaign struck a real chord with me, so I jumped at the chance to get involved and help spread the #DriveSmart message. I’m sure the campaign will be a real success and I hope young men take the message to heart.”